Concrete may be poured between a pair of forms, between a pair of existing, hardened concrete slabs, between a form and an existing, hardened concrete slab, or the like. Once the concrete is poured, it may be leveled and compacted by a process known as “screeding.” Various types of screeding devices have been used over time.
A basic screeding device may be a simple 2×4 or some other elongate member. One or more workers would place the 2×4 on the forms and pull/slide the 2×4 along the forms to screed the poured concrete. While this manual technique may work to at least some degree for at least smaller jobs (e.g., short sections of sidewalk), there are a number of deficiencies. One of course is that this technique is very labor intensive and physically demanding. This type of screeding is also not very effective at distributing and compacting the concrete within the forms, thereby potentially producing a finished concrete slab of a lesser quality than may be desired.
Truss screeds also exist, and tend to be used for larger jobs. The concrete is leveled off with an elongated truss. One or more internal combustion engines or the like may be mounted on the truss to vibrate the truss to enhance the screeding. Typically one or more winches are incorporated into the truss to advance the same along the forms. Both manual and motorized winches exist for truss screeds.
Another type of powered screed is a powered roller screed. The powered roller screed generally consists of a screed roller (e.g., an elongated tube) that is rotationally driven by an attached motor. In operation, the screed roller is positioned over the poured concrete with each end of the screed roller positioned on the upper edges of the laterally-spaced forms. The screed roller is then moved along the top of the forms in a direction that is opposite to the rotational motion of the screed roller at its point of contact with the concrete. Usually one worker pulls on one end of the powered roller screed, and another worker pulls on the opposite end of the powered roller screed. Powered roller screeds produce a smooth and flat finish to the concrete.